Switzerland's Florence Schelling speaks at her 2026 induction into the IIHF Hall of Fame in Zurich.
photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
“Surreal,” “beautiful,” and “fantastic.” In conversation with IIHF.com, Florence Schelling chose those words to describe her IIHF Hall of Fame induction during the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
The Swiss goaltending great captured the vibe perfectly. After all, she got to ring the ceremonial cow bell before the Canada-Finland semi-final in her native Zurich. And then the next day, she got elevated into international hockey’s pantheon with her husband and her nine-month-old daughter Sophia in attendance. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Although no stranger to the spotlight, Schelling, 37, was still surprised when she got the phone call from IIHF President Luc Tardif informing her she was being inducted.
“It was really funny because I didn’t have Luc Tardif’s phone number saved, and I usually don’t pick up when I don’t know the number,” Schelling said with a smile. “But this time, I was with my father-in-law in our living room when the phone rang. Something inside me said, ‘Florence, you have to pick up.’ And I did. It was very special, because I literally had just given birth to my daughter and was not thinking hockey at all! That call came out of nowhere and it was very emotional.”
Schelling’s passion for hockey has made her a lifelong trailblazer. Competing against boys in Swiss junior hockey, she made her IIHF debut at the tender age of 15 at the 2004 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Halifax. Two years later, she played her first of four Olympics in Turin. Despite retiring in 2018, she remains the all-time Olympic shutout leader (five).
Her peak moments in a Swiss uniform were undoubtedly backstopping the national team to two historic bronze medals at the 2012 Women’s Worlds and the 2014 Olympics. The Olympic medal was secured with a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Sweden. On both occasions, the longtime Northeastern University star was named Best Goalie and an all-star – adding tournament MVP honours in 2014 in Sochi.
The Swiss goaltending great captured the vibe perfectly. After all, she got to ring the ceremonial cow bell before the Canada-Finland semi-final in her native Zurich. And then the next day, she got elevated into international hockey’s pantheon with her husband and her nine-month-old daughter Sophia in attendance. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Although no stranger to the spotlight, Schelling, 37, was still surprised when she got the phone call from IIHF President Luc Tardif informing her she was being inducted.
“It was really funny because I didn’t have Luc Tardif’s phone number saved, and I usually don’t pick up when I don’t know the number,” Schelling said with a smile. “But this time, I was with my father-in-law in our living room when the phone rang. Something inside me said, ‘Florence, you have to pick up.’ And I did. It was very special, because I literally had just given birth to my daughter and was not thinking hockey at all! That call came out of nowhere and it was very emotional.”
Schelling’s passion for hockey has made her a lifelong trailblazer. Competing against boys in Swiss junior hockey, she made her IIHF debut at the tender age of 15 at the 2004 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Halifax. Two years later, she played her first of four Olympics in Turin. Despite retiring in 2018, she remains the all-time Olympic shutout leader (five).
Her peak moments in a Swiss uniform were undoubtedly backstopping the national team to two historic bronze medals at the 2012 Women’s Worlds and the 2014 Olympics. The Olympic medal was secured with a thrilling come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Sweden. On both occasions, the longtime Northeastern University star was named Best Goalie and an all-star – adding tournament MVP honours in 2014 in Sochi.
Asked what stands out in her mind about those Winter Games, Schelling said: “I think about my teammates and the way we went into that tournament, believing in what we could do. We were in Group A, basically knowing we’d lose every game in the preliminary round. Not the best preparation for going into a quarter-final against the [host Russian] team that won all the games in Group B, right? Mentally, this was a challenge, but we just came together as a team. The medal is beautiful, and to have achieved that is absolutely out of this world. But what I enjoy most is what we did as a team.”
At this time, Schelling was a fixture between the national team’s pipes. From 5 April 2013 to 17 February 2018, she made an amazing 28 straight starts for Switzerland. That period spanned two Olympics and four Women’s Worlds. But as Schelling noted, it was a team effort, and 15-year-old Alina Muller – who had the bronze-medal winner against Sweden – was another key player.
Muller, now a 28-year-old PWHL veteran who just signed with the new Hamilton franchise, has maintained her clutch reputation. She once again scored the Olympic bronze winner versus Sweden (2-1 in overtime) in Milan, much to Schelling’s delight.
“Even back in 2014, she was already a tremendous hockey player and a leader,” Schelling said. “When she said something in the locker room, everybody listened. A lot of times, she just let her performance speak for itself, and it was absolutely phenomenal. She had confidence in her abilities then, and has developed more and more. She’s reaching new heights that no player in Switzerland has ever reached before. I think that speaks to her mindset and willingness to keep improving every day.”
And how about Andrea Brandli? It’s not easy trying to fill Schelling’s skates, but this gifted 29-year-old netminder – named Best Goalie and an all-star in Milan (1.94 GAA, 95.3 save percentage) – is rising to the challenge. Like Schelling, she is from Zurich, has starred in both NCAA and SDHL play, and is extremely media-friendly.
Schelling is happy to see how her onetime protege has progressed: “We didn’t play together very long on the national team, but I saw her potential early on and tried to take her under my wing and show her the ropes. I’d challenge her and get her to do competitions with me in practice, so we’d make each other better every single day. Now, watching her career on TV, you can see she’s grown so much as a goalie and a person. The confidence and the amount of fun that she has playing the game is visible to everybody. That’s special because at the Olympic level, everything’s very serious, right? You’re competing for medals. But she’s never lost her smile, she’s never lost the fun part of hockey, and I love that.”
Does Schelling – especially in light of the Swiss team’s renewed success and the rise of the PWHL – ever dream about making a comeback?
“I’d be lying if I said no. Having a professional women’s league – when I was growing up, I couldn’t dream about that because it wasn't there yet. Seeing it now, I’m like, ‘Damn, I wish I could play there!’ But ultimately, my answer is no. Hockey has developed so much, and I don’t think as of right now I’d be in the physical shape to deliver anything close to the performance I did before I retired.”
At this time, Schelling was a fixture between the national team’s pipes. From 5 April 2013 to 17 February 2018, she made an amazing 28 straight starts for Switzerland. That period spanned two Olympics and four Women’s Worlds. But as Schelling noted, it was a team effort, and 15-year-old Alina Muller – who had the bronze-medal winner against Sweden – was another key player.
Muller, now a 28-year-old PWHL veteran who just signed with the new Hamilton franchise, has maintained her clutch reputation. She once again scored the Olympic bronze winner versus Sweden (2-1 in overtime) in Milan, much to Schelling’s delight.
“Even back in 2014, she was already a tremendous hockey player and a leader,” Schelling said. “When she said something in the locker room, everybody listened. A lot of times, she just let her performance speak for itself, and it was absolutely phenomenal. She had confidence in her abilities then, and has developed more and more. She’s reaching new heights that no player in Switzerland has ever reached before. I think that speaks to her mindset and willingness to keep improving every day.”
And how about Andrea Brandli? It’s not easy trying to fill Schelling’s skates, but this gifted 29-year-old netminder – named Best Goalie and an all-star in Milan (1.94 GAA, 95.3 save percentage) – is rising to the challenge. Like Schelling, she is from Zurich, has starred in both NCAA and SDHL play, and is extremely media-friendly.
Schelling is happy to see how her onetime protege has progressed: “We didn’t play together very long on the national team, but I saw her potential early on and tried to take her under my wing and show her the ropes. I’d challenge her and get her to do competitions with me in practice, so we’d make each other better every single day. Now, watching her career on TV, you can see she’s grown so much as a goalie and a person. The confidence and the amount of fun that she has playing the game is visible to everybody. That’s special because at the Olympic level, everything’s very serious, right? You’re competing for medals. But she’s never lost her smile, she’s never lost the fun part of hockey, and I love that.”
Does Schelling – especially in light of the Swiss team’s renewed success and the rise of the PWHL – ever dream about making a comeback?
“I’d be lying if I said no. Having a professional women’s league – when I was growing up, I couldn’t dream about that because it wasn't there yet. Seeing it now, I’m like, ‘Damn, I wish I could play there!’ But ultimately, my answer is no. Hockey has developed so much, and I don’t think as of right now I’d be in the physical shape to deliver anything close to the performance I did before I retired.”
She has continued to make her mark off the ice, though. After obtaining her Master’s degree in business administration from Linkoping University in 2018, the onetime coach of the Swiss U18 women’s national team would break new ground as the first female general manager of a major men’s pro hockey club: SC Bern.
There were ups and downs. Her tenure lasted one year – the COVID-19-ravaged season of 2020-21 – as the traditional powerhouse was eliminated in the first round of the Swiss NL playoffs against Zug. Today, Schelling looks back on her GM stint as a valuable learning experience.
“It was a fantastic experience, because nobody has done that before. I was new to the position, and I learned a lot about the job and the organization. It was hard, too. As I’ve said before, when I was a player, if I performed, I was one of the boys, right? If I didn't, I was ‘the girl.’ Coming into that position, I thought the same thing – that if I performed, it wouldn’t matter that I was a woman doing that job. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. But I experienced so much that it’s like, it’s in my backpack now. Nobody can take that away from me, and I can build on that experience in whatever situation I'm in right now.”
Right now, she is naturally focused on parenthood as a new mother – while still keeping tabs on women’s hockey as the co-host of the Jocks Next Gen podcast with ex-PWHL blueliner Emma Buckles. Only time will tell what other surreal, beautiful, and fantastic accomplishments lie in store for Florence Schelling.
There were ups and downs. Her tenure lasted one year – the COVID-19-ravaged season of 2020-21 – as the traditional powerhouse was eliminated in the first round of the Swiss NL playoffs against Zug. Today, Schelling looks back on her GM stint as a valuable learning experience.
“It was a fantastic experience, because nobody has done that before. I was new to the position, and I learned a lot about the job and the organization. It was hard, too. As I’ve said before, when I was a player, if I performed, I was one of the boys, right? If I didn't, I was ‘the girl.’ Coming into that position, I thought the same thing – that if I performed, it wouldn’t matter that I was a woman doing that job. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. But I experienced so much that it’s like, it’s in my backpack now. Nobody can take that away from me, and I can build on that experience in whatever situation I'm in right now.”
Right now, she is naturally focused on parenthood as a new mother – while still keeping tabs on women’s hockey as the co-host of the Jocks Next Gen podcast with ex-PWHL blueliner Emma Buckles. Only time will tell what other surreal, beautiful, and fantastic accomplishments lie in store for Florence Schelling.